East Bound and Down Polo Tour: The Whirlwind That It Was

This didn’t leave much time for blogging, so now I find myself trying to wrap-up the
experience in one post. So I’ve decided
to compile a “Best of” list… the best parts of each stop that we made along the
way.

Stop 1: Skaneateles, New York

The excitement of setting out on such an incredible
adventure was high. And I loved the unexpected
historical stop at Harriet Tubman’s grave.

Steph, Grace, Aunt Lo, and me

Lake Skaneateles was a beautiful setting, and the antique
boat show was a great bonus.

Stop 2: Saratoga Springs, New York

Our day at the races was definitely a trip highlight. I even managed to win! In the first race I picked Bobby Flay’s
horse, Pecorino, to win because I like food.
Pecorino may be a cheesy name for a horse, but he won! The second race I picked 2 horses to show,
and the guy behind the counter gave me the wrong horse… but won… at 20-1
odds! Hot dog! I made $90 on a $10. And then it all fell apart from there… But it was exciting nonetheless. Conclusion: I felt like stepping back in time
as horse racing seems like a sport that hasn't changed much since it became
rooted in our history.

In the paddock at Saratoga

Not so much a photo finish

The ladies were treated to an awesome soak at the Roosevelt
Baths and Spa, natural springs that gave Saratoga Springs its name. It was a wonderfully relaxing
experience.

The hospitality of Jim Rossi, Chief Marketing Officer for
the USPA, was exceptional. Jim pulled
out all the stops by arranging the best table for some terrace dining at
Maestro’s, the best viewing for the Sunday afternoon game at the Saratoga Polo
Club, and a great box at the Saratoga Raceway.
But the most memorable moment may have been when Jim taught us the art
of “sabrage”, opening a bottle of champagne with a sword. Why a sword?
Why not?!?

Sabrage: before

Sabrage: After

Steph's sabrage action shot

And sabrage: what not to do. Sorry C&L, I couldn't resist

Stop 3: Pine Plains, New York (Mashomack Polo Club)

This was only a day stop, but it was a beautiful day for
some great polo. The setting was
spectacular and a quick glimpse into the Mashomack Fish and Game Preserve Club
was pretty cool as well.

Sun setting on Pine Plains as we head east for Newport

What was NOT so cool about this part of the trip was driving
the horse trailer through the 2 lane, hilly, windy roads of western Connecticut. But what am I talking about? I wasn't the one doing the driving. It was Super Steph.

Stop 4: Newport, Rhode Island

Our experience at the Newport International Polo Club, with
gracious hosts, Dan and Agnes Keating, was a blast! They were hosting the Kenyan International
Team the same weekend. The grounds were
beautiful and despite the rain, people still turned out for the big event. The highlight, however, would have to be the
Lobster Bake… slow cooking lobster on a huge pile of seaweed warmed by burning
coals for 3 hours covered under a pile of tarps. Incredible!

There are lots of lobsters under those tarps

The unveiling

Steph and I may have also made an appearance at the Annual
Polo Ball at the Rosecliff Mansion. We weren't quite party crashers… but we
like to refer to ourselves as such. Although significantly under-dressed (we didn't get the ball memo before packing), I reminded Steph that confidence wears better than designer gowns any day. Well... I may not have said it like that, but you get the idea.

Arguably the best meal of the entire tour was enjoyed at the
Black Pearl in Newport. Scallops, Shrimp
and Lobster… with lobster sauce… in a puff pastry. Sorry if I made you jealous. The present “me” is jealous of the former “me.”

Stop 5: Hamilton, Massachusetts (Myopia Polo Club)

The Myopia Polo Club is the oldest active polo club in the
country. We were warmly welcomed by Nick
and Amanda Snow and were set up with great accommodations at the Myopia Hunt
Club.

"Tailgating" at the Myopia Polo Match

We had a beautiful walk on Singing Sands Beach in
Manchester-by-the-Sea and Crane Beach the next day.

Night stroll on Singing Sands Beach

Enjoying Crane Beach

I was also able to get my history fix by taking the Boston
Duck Tour. We rode in the “Ducks” which
are “World War II-style amphibious landing vehicles”. This means that you ride around Boston and
then get to boat through Boston Harbor.
Pretty cool!

Stop 6: Southhampton, New York

In an effort to avoid NYC traffic, we took the ferry from
New London, Connecticut to Long Island. My
thought: Is this what Lyle Lovett was doing when he penned the lyrics “Me upon
my pony on my boat”? I enjoyed every
minute of the sea breeze that morning.

Our trailer on the ferry

I can only imagine how many times "I'm the King of the World!" has been declared here.

Chuck and Laurie treated me to a lovely afternoon at the Wolffer
Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack. Laurie
and I spent much of the time plotting on how to convince Chuck to take us to
Ina “Barefoot Contessa” Garten’s favorite dining in the Hamptons at the 1770
House. For a little bit of history… in
addition to the culinary skills of my mom, aunts and grandmothers, no one has
inspired me more in the realm of cooking than the Barefoot Contessa. Mom gave me my first cookbook in 2003, “Barefoot
Contessa Family Style” and found her recipes to be simple and savory and
discovered that as long as you can read a recipe, you can cook! I have never looked back. So, to make the pilgrimage to Barefoot’s
favorite restaurant was kind of a big deal.
Besides, earlier this summer I had made the “1770 House Meatloaf” (from “Barefoot
Contessa Foolproof”), and thought it would be cool to see where this wonderful
dish was created. But, since I decided
to eat as much seafood as possible while on the east coast, I chose the “Seared
Montauk Sea Scallops with Sweet Peas and Potatoes, Chanterelle Mushroom Fondue,
Melted Leeks and Black Garlic.” Thank
you, Uncle Chuck, for humoring us, literally... as this was the meal that we
shared the most laughs. Now, what’s this
about a butt-kissing?

"Clean plate clubbers" at the 1770 House

Stop 7: Coatesville, Pennsylvania (Brandywine Polo Club)

Not gonna lie… I haven’t heard many people rave about PA, so
I wasn’t anticipating any big thrills in Chester County. And thus, there is something to be said for
having no, or low, expectations. This
really may have been my favorite stop on the whole tour. To start with, we had amazing hosts in Cindy
and Richard Buchanan. They opened their
incredible home to us. It was also so
nice to be able to stay at the same place the horses were staying to cut down
on travel time. As a result, this may
have been one our most relaxing stops.
Our first evening, we had an awesome meal at the Whip Tavern. Considering it was billed an English Pub, I decided
to go with the Shepherd’s Pie. Like the
rest of our experience in Pennsylvania, I was not disappointed.

Enjoying a peaceful morning, with Molly, at Mercer Hill Farm

Cindy gave a recommendation to pay a visit to the Longwood
Gardens, botanical gardens and estate founded by Pierre du Pont. I have long been a fan of botanical
gardens. The air in these conservatories
feels like breathing in good health.
Several times I found myself being thankful for fully functioning senses
as we wandered through the estate, including an incredible organ demonstration
of the William Tell Overture. (This
brought to mind how many times I had thought I was thankful for the use of my
feet during the many treks I made during the past year. And then my Achilles ruptured. I’m hoping none of my senses meet the same
fate. But if they do, I’m thankful for
the experiences they have given me thus far.)

Again, we were greeted by wonderful hosts. Jim and Kim Burton were busy tending the grounds
at Buckland Farm when we pulled in. They
were proud to share that this was some of the best pasture in the country and
that our horses would be happy to partake.
I’m not sure how the grass tasted but the rolling hills were
beautiful.

Later that night we were entertained at the Great Meadows
Polo Club as I watched my first arena polo match. This was played under the lights, on a dirt
field (similar to a rodeo arena) with just 3 players on each team, as opposed
to the usual 4. The game was fast and fun
and they have figured out a way to draw a great crowd on a Saturday night. It was a super fun event!

Twilight Polo at Great Meadows

And then, Uncle Chuck played his last polo game of the tour
in Upperville, Virginia. But as Chuck
and Laurie got in the car to head back to Peoria, Steph, Grace and I were
whisked away in a helicopter by Jim. He
gave us a tour of the Shenandoah Valley by air.
Incredible!

Jim takes us for a spin!

We were just a little excited

Cruising over the Shenandoah River

So our tour ended, appropriately, with a whirlwind, 2-hour
tour of Washington DC. We took the metro
into town, rented bikes and managed to ride to the White House, Washington
Monument, World War II Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean
Memorial, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial. At each stop, I gave the girls a 2-minute run
down of the facts and figures I knew about the memorial (I still had some of my
notes from previous trips on an Evernote file!) and then I sent them off to
snap pics while I watched the bikes. The
short time there brought back great memories of 5 tours with EVHS students and
my visit as a junior at Richwoods with Mrs. Bales and my best friend Kristen
(Vanek) Huls. DC will always be a
favorite!

DC LOVE!

Wow! Did that just
happen? Incredible! Thank you, Uncle Chuck and Aunt Laurie for
generously including me in this amazing adventure. Thanks for generating great conversation and
treating us to incredible meals. And
thank you, Steph and Grace for letting “the stranger” crash your polo
world. You girls do good work. Thanks for listening to my history lessons,
Stuff You Should Know Podcasts, and my Spanish.

Thumbs up to a wonderful adventure!

Well folks, that’s a wrap on the East Bound and
Down Polo Tour. We were definitely
loaded up and truckin’. We did things they didn't know could be done. We had a long
ways to go and a short time to get there. We were East Bound, just watch how Steph can drive!

About Me

I grew up in Peoria, Illinois surrounded by a pretty remarkable family. I explain it by saying that there are 50 people in my extended family and about 40 of them live within 5 minutes of my grandparents. Even though I loved the life I grew up with, in 6th grade I had the dream of moving to Colorado. I wanted to go to college in Colorado but mom and dad said that was too far away. So I chose to go to Taylor University in Upland, Indiana. I graduated January 29, 2003 and moved to Edwards on February 3, 2003. When I arrived, it was as though the Lord held out a silver platter including my house, friends, job, church and a sense of belonging. I've taught social studies at Eagle Valley High School from 2003 to May of 2013. And now, I'm taking a year long sabbatical. The goal is to rest, reflect and determine what my next steps will be. I may return to teaching or I may take the opportunity to pursue other dreams... which would lead me to the hospitality industry with the ultimate goal of someday opening a bed and breakfast. Regardless, my prayer is that I will have an open heart and a teachable spirit in the year to come. Thanks for taking the journey with me!